Both the Lingxu Elder and the Dongxu Elder were seasoned cultivators who had spent thousands of years honing their skills, having witnessed all sorts of turmoil. Guo Xingyue, apart from his childhood under his parents' protection, had spent the rest of his life amidst blood and chaos, making him a clever little fox in his own right. When these three foxes came together, they naturally considered various situations and devised multiple response plans.
The Lingxu Elder found common ground with Guo Xingyue and had benefited significantly from him, treating him as one of their own. After wrapping up their discussions, as they prepared to head to the tribulation site, the Lingxu Elder specifically shared an important secret with Guo Xingyue—each of the seven major sects of Gathering Star had secret channels to communicate with seniors in the Immortal Realm, and in times of crisis, they could call for assistance from the Immortal Realm.
As the leading artifact-refining sect of Gathering Star, Jinshi Sect had many skilled artisans who often helped various smaller sects refine artifacts. The elders of Jinshi Sect were well-connected, and with the Dongxu Elder delegating tasks, each elder sprang into action, busy contacting their friends in the other sects of Gathering Star. (There is an unwritten rule in the cultivation world—issues within individual cultivation planets must be resolved internally without inviting cultivators from other planets. Guo Xingyue originally intended to invite several scattered immortals like Bai Fan for assistance, but was stopped by the Lingxu Elder.)
After the Lingxu Elder announced that the Dongxu Elder would take charge of the Jinshi Sect, he left Gathering Star via a teleportation array. While the Dongxu Elder was inviting friends, he also informed the leader of the Chongzhen Sect, Lingyun Elder, about the situation, requesting their involvement in mediating the matter. Aside from donating a batch of upper and mid-grade artifacts as a token for the elders to invite friends, Guo Xingyue left the Elder Hall and returned to Ye Mingcheng's home.
Although Ye Mingcheng and his wife were the parents of the involved parties, they were not elders of Jinshi Sect and thus were unaware of the sect's specific arrangements. Being cultivators, they had a greater capacity to handle stress than ordinary people, but when it came to the safety of their loved ones, they were naturally anxious. Upon seeing Guo Xingyue return home, they all gathered around him. Ye Kai, whose cultivation was still at the early Golden Core stage, was especially restless and drenched in sweat, clearly having been pacing in the courtyard for a while. The first to lose his composure was Ye Kai, who shouted, "Master, how is it? Did the sect leader agree to rescue my sister?" Guo Xingyue shot Ye Kai a glare, saying, "Kai, you need to practice the Wudang Taiji Sword a hundred times in the yard. You can't come in until you finish." He then turned to Ye Mingcheng and his wife, saying, "Eldest brother, sister-in-law, let's talk inside."
Once everyone was seated, Guo Xingyue detailed the Lingxu Elder's speculations and specific arrangements, concluding with, "Eldest brother, sister-in-law, the root of this issue lies with me. I'll risk my life to bring Yue'er back." Ye Mingcheng shook his head, saying, "Second brother, this is not your fault. Innocent people can suffer for their wealth. The Sword Heart Sect has always acted domineeringly. Even if we willingly hand over the Tribulation Elixirs, the situation may not resolve. Since the sect leader has made arrangements, your sister and I can feel a bit more at ease."
Not long after, a message arrived from Lingyun Elder of the Chongzhen Sect: the Sword Heart Sect refused mediation, claiming that Ye Yue had injured one of their disciples, thereby humiliating their sect. They demanded ten Tribulation Elixirs in exchange for her release. Upon hearing the Dongxu Elder's message, Guo Xingyue felt a surge of anger: even if he succeeded in refining all the elixirs, there would only be nine at most. Moreover, during the collection process, there might be a pill tribulation, and it was uncertain how many he would successfully retrieve. The Sword Heart Sect demanding ten elixirs was outright extortion. Since a peaceful resolution was impossible, they had no choice but to resort to force.
The news of the upcoming battle between the Jinshi Sect and the Sword Heart Sect at Qianzhangping quickly spread throughout the entire Gathering Star. This would be the first conflict between the two major sects in thousands of years, drawing in powerful cultivators from all over Gathering Star who didn't want to miss such a spectacle. Even nearby cultivation planets responded, sending their cultivators to Qianzhangping.
Qianzhangping was located in the heart of the Gathering Star continent. (Gathering Star is a massive planet, with only one continent occupying 40% of its area, while the rest is ocean.) Qianzhangping was actually a vast desert surrounded by mountains, with no water, vegetation, or mortal habitation. It was said to be a remnant of battles fought by immortals in ancient times.
With several days left until the battle, the mountains surrounding Qianzhangping were already filled with practitioners, but no one dared to enter the battlefield itself. After all, both sides involved were major sects of Gathering Star, and no one wanted to enter the battlefield early, as being suspected of assisting either faction could lead to disaster. However, at this moment, someone was busy in Qianzhangping, flying around and constantly performing hand seals. Streams of golden light followed his gestures, forming a massive array on the sandy ground. This person was Guo Xingyue. Upon learning the location of the battle, he had teleported to Qianzhangping and began to set up the most concealed of the three deadly arrays, the Kanli Killing Formation, near the battlefield. This formation was characterized by its extreme concealment; as long as the array's eye was not installed, everything appeared normal, and one would not notice any formation. Even if someone entered the array, nothing unusual would occur. However, once the array's eye was placed, the formation would activate, trapping anyone within. Unless they understood the intricacies of the formation and had a higher cultivation level than the one who set it, even scattered immortals would find it impossible to break free.
Guo Xingyue, originally a killer, believed that the process was not important—only the result mattered. As long as he achieved his goals, any means were acceptable. He had not revealed to the Dongxu Elder and the others that he was proficient in the three deadly formations, as these formations were his life-saving trump card. He didn't want too many people to know about them. Furthermore, he worried that if he informed the Dongxu Elder in advance, the elder might, out of the sect's interest, refuse to set up the formations to ambush the enemy. Thus, Guo Xingyue came to Qianzhangping alone, planning to set up the Kanli Killing Formation in what he estimated to be the battleground, then left quietly.
The day of the decisive battle was approaching. Guo Xingyue bid farewell to Ye Mingcheng and his family and joined Dongxu and other powerful cultivators on their way to Qianzhangping. (Cultivators below the Dividing Spirit stage were mere lambs to the slaughter in such large-scale battles. For reasons of preserving reserve talents and maintaining their combat power, sects typically did not allow practitioners below the Dividing Spirit stage to participate in such wars.) Guo Xingyue had become familiar with the formidable fighters involved in this battle over the past few days (due to his abundance of magical artifacts, high-quality minerals, and generous nature, it was difficult not to befriend others). Nearly a hundred powerful cultivators above the Dividing Spirit stage mounted their flying swords, chatting and laughing as they flew toward Qianzhangping.